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Nyota Uhura
Uhura served as chief communications officer aboard the ''Starship Enterprise'' under the command of James T. Kirk for nearly thirty years, upon which she continued her career lecturing at the Starfleet Academy. Biography Uhura, daughter of M'Umbha, was born in the United States of Africa on Earth in 2239. She speaks Swahili fluently. (TOS: "The Man Trap") In her youth, she used to run the 100 meter dash in record time. (TAS: "The Slaver Weapon") Service Record The Five-Year Mission In 2266, Uhura began her Starfleet career as communications officer aboard the USS Enterprise with the rank of lieutenant. (TOS: "The Corbomite Maneuver") In the years following of that vessel's historical five-year mission, she proved to be a proficient technician and was considered by Captain Kirk to be a capable and reliable bridge officer, manning the helm station would the need arise. (TOS: "Balance of Terror") :As shown in the picture to the left, Uhura initially wore the gold command uniform in "The Corbomite Maneuver" and "Mudd's Women." Thereafter, she was outfitted in the more-familiar red uniform of engineering and support services. On stardate 1704.2, under the influence of polywater intoxication, Sulu, fantasizing himself a musketeer, took Uhura, neither fair nor a maiden, under his 'protection' before Spock subdued him with a Vulcan nerve pinch. (TOS: "The Naked Time") Following a communications blackout caused by Apollo jamming all communication frequencies between the Enterprise and her landing party in on stardate 3468.1, Uhura attempted the delicate task of rewiring the entire communications system in an attempt to break through the interference. In conjuction with Lieutenant Sulu's rigging of all transmission circuits for maximum power generation, Uhura successfully connected the bypass circuit, a task she had not done in several years. First officer Spock praised her work and could think of "no one better quipped" to handle the necessary repairs. (TOS: "Who Mourns for Adonais?") Her most traumatic experience during her time aboard the Enterprise occured on stardate 3541.9. Uhura had her memory wiped out by the space probe Nomad, when it interpreted her singing as a biological malfunction. Dr. McCoy used advanced medical and educational techniques to restore her memories. (TOS: "The Changeling") :The amount of lingering damage from ''Nomad, if any, was never discussed.'' On stardate 4523.3, while on shore leave aboard Deep Space Station K-7, Uhura met a dealer named Cyrano Jones, who tried to sell rare galactic items, among them, funny little creatures Jones called tribbles. In hopes of more sales, Jones gave one to Uhura, which subsequently, due to their high reproduction rate, threatened to overrun the Enterprise when Uhura took the creature with her on board. Fortunately, the crew was able to find a way to dispose of the tribbles. (TOS: "The Trouble with Tribbles") On stardate 5483.7, the male Enterprise crew was incapacitated by the "siren's song" of Taurus II's female population, necessecitating Uhura to take command of the ship. She and Nurse Chapel led a landing party to rescue Captain Kirk, first officer Spock and Dr. McCoy. (TAS: "The Lorelei Signal") Later that year, on stardate 2291.2, the Enterprise revisited the Shore Leave Planet where Uhura was abducted by the planet's computer which had taken charge of the planet upon The Keeper's death. Uhura reasoned with the computer, which felt that it was being taken advantage of, and convinced it to cease its hostile actions against the Enterprise crew. (TAS: "Once Upon a Planet") In 2270, Uhura was again temporarily in command of the bridge when the Enterprise lost contact with Kirk and Spock, half of the ships' contact party, while exploring the surface of Delta Theta III. Per Kirk's orders of avoiding unnecessary risks, she ordered Montgomery Scott and Sulu, the other half of the contact party, aboard the ship, contrary to their attempt to locate the Spock and the captain. (TAS: "Bem") Later that year, Uhura, along with Dr. McCoy and Lieutenant Sulu, became trapped in the ship's holographic recreation room when the Enterprise computer exhibited aberrant behaviour following its passage through an energy cloud. (TAS: "The Practical Joker") On stardate 5275.6, Uhura collapsed on the bridge due to the effects of Dramian auroral plague. Fortunately, Dr. McCoy was able to find a cure to rescue her and the rest of the infected crew. (TAS: "Albatross") On stardate 6770.3, upon entering an anti-matter universe, the Enterprise crew experienced the effects of accelerated reverse aging and Uhura also was reduced to infancy. After returning the ship to normal space, the crew was able to return to their normal age by using the transporters. (TAS: "The Counter-Clock Incident") Late Career .]] In the 2270s, Uhura was promoted to the rank of lieutenant commander aboard the Enterprise. She served aboard the refit Enterprise, under the command of Captain Willard Decker, and later during the V'Ger crisis, under the command of Admiral Kirk. (Star Trek: The Motion Picture) In 2284, Uhura was promoted to Commander and was assigned to Starfleet Command communications and to Starfleet Academy while the Enterprise was reassigned to cadet training. Part of her duty was giving lectures at the Academy. That same year, the Enterprise became involved with Project Genesis and Khan Noonien Singh's attempt to steal the Genesis Device. Eventually, Kirk was able to stop Khan, but not before the latter had brought extensive damage upon the Enterprise, requiring Captain Spock to sacrifice his life to save the ship. (Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan) In 2285, Uhura was assigned to the transporter room at Old City Station per her own request. During the planned rescue attempt of Spock from the Genesis Planet, Uhura played an instrumental role of illegally transporting Admiral Kirk and company to the Enterprise, prior to its theft. (Star Trek III: The Search for Spock) :In the scene featuring Uhura's posting at Old City Station, Uhura is seen wearing a black skirt with her uniform rather than the otherwise standard black slacks worn by the other female personnel. This costume design was made at the request of Nichelle Nichols, and honored by costume designer Robert Fletcher especially for that one scene. Kirk and his senior staff succeeded in saving Spock, and Uhura met up with her crewmates on Vulcan. She, along with the rest of the crew travelled back to the year 1986 aboard a Klingon Bird-of-Prey – which they named the [[HMS Bounty|HMS Bounty]] – to retrieve two humpback whales to save the planet Earth from an alien probe. While in 20th century San Francisco, Uhura and Pavel Chekov transported aboard the aircraft carrier ''Enterprise'' to acquire high-energy photons from its reactor core. Upon their return to the 23rd century, she was among the crew charged with the theft of the Enterprise. However, all charged against them were dropped because they had saved the planet. She would be reassigned to the communications aboard the USS Enterprise-A. (Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home) In 2287, the Enterprise was dispatched to resolve a hostage situation on Nimbus III, the Planet of Galactic Peace. Under the influence of the rebel leader Sybok, Uhura and many other crewmembers cooperated to divert the Enterprise to the galactic core where Sybok convinced them they would find the mythical Sha Ka Ree. However, the crew found that the entity which identified itself as "God" sought only to escape his imprisonment behind the Great Barrier. The Enterprise destroyed the being when it threatened to kill Captains Kirk, Spock and Dr. McCoy. (Star Trek V: The Final Frontier) Up to the Camp Khitomer crisis of 2293, Uhura continued to serve as communications officer of the Enterprise-A. The Enterprise crew played a vital role in the success of the Khitomer Conference by unfolding a conspiracy that sought to sabotage the peace process. By the end of the year, Uhura had left the Enterprise, and had taken up a position at Starfleet Academy. (Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country) Personal Life Uhura was well known aboard the Enterprise for entertaining the crew with her talented singing. She sang "Beyond Antares" on several occasions; in the crew's lounge and even on the bridge – the last incident triggering Nomad's assault. (TOS: "The Conscience of the King", "The Changeling") Throughout their years of serving together, Uhura developped a strong friendship with the other members of the Enterprise senior staff. In 2285, she helped Kirk without hesitation in his quest to find peace for Spock's katra. When the other crew had recovered Spock's body from the Genesis Planet, on Vulcan, where Uhura had been waiting for them, the fal-tor-pan ritual transferred Spock's soul that Dr. McCoy had been carrying into Spock's body that Genesis had restored. (Star Trek III: The Search for Spock) James T. Kirk Serving under Kirk for many years, Uhura developped a great respect for Kirk, both as starship captain and person. On stardate 5784.2, under the influence of powerful telepaths, Uhura was forced to kiss him. (TOS: "Plato's Stepchildren") :The kiss between Kirk and Uhura became famous, as it was the first interracial kiss on American television. The scene provoked protest and was seen as groundbreaking, even though the kiss was portrayed as having been forced by alien mind control. Spock On occasion, Uhura was accompanied in singing by Spock on the Vulcan harp, as with the improvised song "Oh, On the Starship Enterprise" about the latter. (TOS: "Charlie X") On stardate 4372.5, the Enterprise was assigned to transport Elaan, Dohlman of Elas to the planet Troyius for her arranged marriage. Elaan had stabbed her tutor Petri, thus the crew had to find a way to teach Elaan lessons in manners before marriage. Passing by the recreation room, they heard haunting music coming from within. Uhura suggested to Captain Kirk that music hath charms to soothe the savage beast, and thus they entered to find Spock playing the Vulcan lyre. Uhura was deeply impressed with Spock's musical abilities, and asked if he could teach her how to play the lyre. Spock approved, yet wondered whether a non-Vulcan could ever master the skill. (TOS: "Elaan of Troyius"; deleted scene) Montgomery Scott In 2287, Uhura began to show some romantic interest in engineer Montgomery Scott, but their relationship was never pursued. Under the influence of Sybok, however, Uhura became more persuasive. Scotty, neverthless, politely declined the advance, mindful of her "condition". (Star Trek V: The Final Frontier) Appendices Appearances * See also: Main character non-appearances Background Uhura was played by Nichelle Nichols, who appeared in approximately sixty-five episodes. Nichols also provided the voice of Uhura (in addition to a few guest character voices) for The Animated Series, and appeared in all but seven of its episodes. Name and heritage Uhura's name was derived from "Uhuru", the Swahili word for "freedom", but the character's given name was never established in the series or the movies. In Star Trek VI, her name was misspelled "Uhuru" in the credits. By the early 1970s, fans had suggested that her first name may have been "Penda", meaning "love". Later, the name "Nyota" ("star" in Swahili) became more commonly used, first by William Rostler in his book Star Trek II Biographies. Nichols has said that an author writing about the history of Star Trek had asked Gene Roddenberry what Uhura's first name was and was told that one was never decided. The author then recommended the name "Nyota". Roddenberry liked it, but said to ask Nichols before he allowed the name to be used. Nichols thought the name was perfect. (TOS Season 2 DVD commentary) In the Star Trek RPG published by FASA] in the 1980s, the full name given for Uhura was "Samara Uhura", although, like the rest of this game, its source material was stricken from canonical status after the debut of Star Trek: The Next Generation and Paramount Pictures revised canon policies. This possible name appears to not have been accepted outside the original source. Ironically, in the THG RPG adaptation, there were several Decker-class starships named for the Enterprise crew, including the USS Samara Uhura. Uhura's date and location of birth, and her mother's name, are non-canon. They were never established on screen, but were instead derived from the [[Star Trek: The Original Series|original Star Trek]] writer's guide, the Star Trek Concordance, the Star Trek Chronology and the Star Trek Encyclopedia. Her familiarity with Swahili implies – but does not require – an East African origin or heritage. In the novelization of Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home Pavel Chekov said Uhura was from Bantu Nation. It is interesting to note that in the 1977 Writers'/Directors' Guide for Star Trek II – the aborted second series – Uhura was noted as having been born in the "African Confederacy". The full character desciption, written by Gene Roddenberry and Jon Povill, is as follows: :''Rank of Lieutenant Commander, Communications Officer, played by attractive young actress Nichelle Nichols. Uhura was born in the African Confederacy. Quick and intelligent, she is a highly efficient officer. Her understanding of the ship's computer systems is second only to the Vulcan Science Officer, and expert in all ships systems relating to communications. Uhura is also a warm, highly female female off duty. She is a favorite in the Recreation Room during off duty hours, too, because she sings–old ballads as well as the newer space ballads–and she can do impersonations at the drop of a communicator. Legacy During the first year of the series, Nichols was tempted to leave the show as she felt her role lacked significance, but a conversation with Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. changed her mind. Dr. King personally encouraged her to stay on the show, telling her that he was a big fan of the series and told her she "could not give up" as she was playing a vital role model for young black children and women across the country. After the first season, Uhura's role on the series was expanded beyond merely manning her console. Former NASA astronaut Mae Jemison has cited Nichols' role of Uhura as her inspiration for wanting to become an astronaut and Whoopi Goldberg has also spoken of Nichols' influence. Apocrypha Uhura is depicted in the non-canonical novels The Art of the Impossible, Catalyst of Sorrows, and Vulcan's Soul, [[Exodus|Book I: Exodus]] as later going on to become the head of Starfleet Intelligence in the 24th century, serving into 2377. Sources * Judith and Garfield Reeves-Stevens; Star Trek: Phase II - The Making of the Lost Series; Pocket Books, ISBN 0-671-56839-6 (softcover, 1997). * Judith and Garfield Reeves-Stevens; Star Trek: The Next Generation - The Continuing Mission; Pocket Books, ISBN 0671025597 (softcover 1998). Uhura Uhura Uhura de:Uhura fr:Uhura nl:Uhura